While I'm loving the kind of randomly sprayed effect they had going on at Galliano (seriously, coral and golden blonde looks so good together!), the one that seems to really be carrying over from the catwalk shows is the Proenza Schouler-esque 'my-at-home-hair-dye-kit-went-wrong'; I've seen so many street-style photos of girls sporting faded colourful streaks. To get that affect you would definitely have to use dye; I don't think a coloured spray or gel would do the trick because it'd add a bit too much texture to the hair and it's still supposed to look quite natural (well, as natural as purple hair can look...) Like I said in my last post, I'm not willing to dye my hair, but I'm still intrigued by this look. Definitely need to take a trip to Boots and to see what kind of temporary hair colourants are available. I'll keep you posted!

Now a lot of folks are putting the popularity of this colourful hair malarkey down to one Lady in particular;

However, I noticed a couple of other famous faces who were sporting crazy coloured hair long before Lady Gaga was on the scene (can you even remember a time before Lady Gaga was on the scene? No, me neither. How different life must have been back then...)

Like an 80s version of Hannah Montana, Jerrica Benton had the good fortune of being rendered completely unrecognisable when wearing the pink wig of her alter-ego, Jem. Along with her pals, the Holograms, Jem sang songs, battled the Misfits ("We are the Misfits, our songs are better, we are the Misfits, the Misfits and we're gonna get her!"), ran the Starlight Foundation for Girls and, most importantly, rocked some seriously big, colourful hair. Apart from Kimber, who was allergic to hair dye so was forced to remain a ginger forever. She later shaved all of her hair off and forged a fairly successful career as a Sinead O'Connor tribute act. That last bit is all just speculation, but I'm pretty sure it's based on some truth.

Oh Frenchie, when Vi from the diner told you that your hair looked like an Easter Egg, you pretended it was caused by "a little accident in tinting class", but we all know the truth - you were way ahead of your time with regards to hair colouring and wanted a change from the backcombed curls and bouncy ponytails of the 50s. Ok, the fumes from all that peroxide may have played some part in the demented "Beauty School Dropout" hallucination involving Frankie Avalon and a whole load of tin foil, but still, you were a pioneer, Frenchie, and for that, we thank you.

Tuesday, 26 January 2010

Yesterday I had a little look-see at the Chanel Spring 2010 Couture collection, which is an interesting one for Karl Lagerfeld, who is quoted as saying "It's the first time in my whole career I've done a collection without black or navy. There's not one gold button."

Hang on, hang on; not ONE gold button?! The man's clearly a psychopath!

Don't worry, he's onto something, I promise.

Indeed, the collection, which consisted of the usual tailored shorts suits and classic, yet decadent eveningwear, was given an edgy twist with a combination of delicate pastels and punchy silver accessories.

Chan-ELLO!

I think there might be a little bit of self-referencing going on there with the shirt collar and tie, eh Karl?

Loving the mille-feuille, loving the little fingerless gloves, loving the sparkly, sparkly tights. It's a bit space-age, even a bit futuristic (only, don't tell Karl I said that, because apparently, when someone backstage at the show suggested it was futuristic, he snapped "I hate that". And then killed them. Probably).

However, if I had to say what my favourite thing was from this show, it'd have to be... the HAIR!!! Oh my goodness will you just look at it???

I think Magdalena Frackowiak has become one of my favourite models. Her face is exquisite.

Oh, wait, that one's not from the Chanel show, that's Gary Oldman as Dracula. Clearly, vampires are always one step ahead in the fashion stakes...

(hahaha I didn't even notice that pun at first!)

Aaaaaaaaaaaah! Just gorgeous! Also, I know I'm a bit late blogging about this because I've been reading about it for months, but pastel coloured/streaked hair is EVERYWHERE at the moment! I'll do a big post about this later in the week because I have lots of pictures to share, but I'm seriously thinking about buying some kind of coloured hair gel or spray or clip in coloured extensions or something, because the very pale blue in Isabeli Fontana's dark hair (first hair picture) looks fabulous! Obviously I couldn't actually dye my hair because I'd have to bleach it first and I'd clearly destroy it and curly hair is dry enough without adding bleach to the equation...

One final thing, not related to the Chanel show. I've just been online, reading an awful lot of comments and articles about this photo;

So here's the situation; Tavi Gevinson is a 13 year old girl who writes a fashion blog called Style Rookie. She started writing when she was 11 and her blog has been a huge (I mean HUGE) success - people love her, she gets sent all kind of free stuff from designers, she's been featured in magazines, she was even on the cover of Pop, and now, from what I can gather, she also occasionally writes for Pop. Anyway, her knowledge of fashion is incredible, she's clearly very passionate about it (read some of her blog and you'll see straight away) and she expresses this through her crazy way of dressing, which, whether you love it or hate, is completely unique (and I think, very brave, considering she's only 13 and has to deal with constant stupid remarks from kids at her school ). Anyway, this image, from the Dior Couture show, was Tweeted by a reporter for Grazia who was "Not best pleased to be watching couture through 13 year old Tavi's hat". Now, I have to say, common decency and sense do dictate that if you're going to any kind of seated event, fashion show, play, press conference etc, it's probably best not to wear a large hat as you'll be obscuring the views of the people behind you. However, Tavi is under 5 foot tall, so even with the hat, she's probably not much taller than an average person. Also, the hat is hardly a hat, more like an oversized piece of ribbon (let's be honest, in the image above, it's probably obscuring about 8 per cent of the gown). And it was given to her by Dior atelier, Stephen Jones. Of course she's going to wear it to the Dior show - she's a 13 year old kid! Hell, if I was going to the Dior couture show and was then given a piece of Dior couture, I'd definitely wear it and I'd attach a big neon sign to it saying "hey, have you noticed my hat? it's Dior frikkin' couture!"

Also, if the Grazia reporter had such a problem with the hat, she could have asked Tavi to take it off, instead of passive-aggressively Tweeting about it. I can only wonder whether she was more miffed about being seated behind Tavi's hat, or behind Tavi herself, a 13 year old blogger...

The thing is, regardless of whether or not she should have worn the hat, the thing that really got me about this whole incident is how many hateful, nasty comments have since been made about Tavi. The mix of comments included outraged statements about how she should have been in school at the time/she's growing up too fast/she knows nothing about fashion in the first place/a 13 year old has no right to be at a Dior Couture show/her parents have a lot to answer for etc etc moan moan moan blah blah blah. Regardless of what you may think about her, Tavi is a child and a lot of the people who made those comments (some of the worst ones were here) should hang their heads in shame as they are clearly adults. While it may seem a little precocious for a 13 year old to be attending a Paris Couture show, is it any worse than people like Dakota Fanning and Abigail Breslin and all the other zillions of child stars out there, who have pretty much grown up in the spotlight, surrounded by adults, learning God knows what on film sets and generally living a very different life to that of other children their age? From what I can gather from her blog, Tavi seems like a very intelligent, if a little eccentric, down to earth kid, who goes to school and watches cartoons and acts silly, just like other kids her age. She just happens to have an obsession with fashion that has led to a lot of doors being opened to her at a very young age. And quite, frankly, if she's causing such a stir in the fashion world at 13, think what she could do when she's actually old enough to cause some real damage. Tavi, you have the little curly girl's backing all the way! I salute you!

...although, she did meet James Franco at a party which means I have to hate her a little bit...

Tuesday, 19 January 2010

So yesterday I posted some of my favourite gowns from Sunday night's Golden Globes - the red carpet was a veritable Pick 'n' Mix of style, glamour and lovely, lovely sparkly things. But at any Pick 'n' Mix stand, there's always one type of sweet that nobody wants to pick from because, well, it tastes like crap and nobody wants a foam banana or a liquorice allsort when they can have cola bottles, giant strawberries and midget jems instead, do they? No, of course they bloody don't. But the thing is, they're still there and we still have to look at them and go "bleurgh I hate liquorice!" And that's the point I'm making. Exactly. So here, in all their finery, I present to you, the liquorice allsorts of the Golden Globes.

First off is Helen of Troy, aka Diane Kruger, in Christian Lacroix. Actually, the more I look at this dress, the more I don't think it's that bad... it's just so pink. And I like pink. But that much pink? Combined with the frilly neckline? She just looks a bit like a raspberry ripple sundae, that's all. But then maybe that's the look she was going for?

Jayma Mays in Badgley Mischka

Oh Emma Pilsbury from "Glee", I wish you weren't on my list, I really do, because you're as cute as an extremely cute button. But when you decided to swamp yourself in the spider web fabric you bought at Halloween, you dug your own grave.

For as long as I can remember, Nicole Kidman has terrified me. There's something about her eyes that makes me certain that behind that placid smile, she's plotting to take over the world. As much as I love "Moulin Rouge!" I just can't forget that she is very probably an evil genius. Anyway, all that aside, I hate this Nina Ricci dress, it looks like a a nightie. And not even a very nice nightie. A nightie made by a mad person with a penchant for horrible nighties. Plus, she seems to have gotten even tinier (if that's possible), so she actually looks like a child wearing a nightie made by a mad person. Believe it or not, however, Nicole made Vogue's Top 10 Best Dressed at the Golden Globes list, so maybe it's me who's mad... (I highly doubt it)

Another one I wish wasn't on the list, because normally Penelope Cruz is one of my favourites on the red carpet. But this Armani Prive gown has a bit too much going on; while I actually kind of like the fishtail skirt and the stripey bodice, the cut of the lacey neckline and the sleeves are so aging on her! You know that older woman relative you only see at family parties who wears too much foundation and still styles her hair like it's the 80s? Yeah. Penelope reminds of a hispanic version of her...

Heidi Klum in Roberto Cavalli

Do you ever get the feeling Heidi Klum is actually a bit mad? Maybe the knowledge that she's a super-hot Victoria's Secret model has gone to her head so much, that she just thinks she can wear whatever the hell she wants these days. Well I've got news for you Heidi, it is never ok to walk the red carpet dressed as an extra from The Little Mermaid on Broadway. Ever.

Oh Julia, you're not on my list because this dress is hideous, oh no, it's vintage YSL, it could never be hideous. But when you're on the red carpet and everyone around you is wearing couture gowns, and Heidi Klum is running around singing "Part of Your World", don't you feel just a little bit under-dressed? You're better than this, Julia, you know you are. Food for thought.

Like Heidi Klum, Mariah is another one of those mad celebrities who's never really adhered to normal fashion decorum. But this is a Herve Leger dress. Herve Leger dresses are known for being extreme bodycon to the max. So it's usually a good idea to only go for this look if you're one of those petite, liliputian-type people with small but perfectly formed ummm assets. Otherwise, the result is positively pornographic. Alright Mariah, we can see your Golden Globes, now put them away, PLEASE!

Monday, 18 January 2010

Hold on to your hats, kids, because I'm back, ready to take on 2010 and all of its sartorial delights with gusto, panache and a hell of a lot of curly hair!

Hang on Franki, you can't just burst in here, acting like nothing's happened, expecting us to welcome you back with open arms, you've been gone for six months, where the chocolate-covered-spider-monkeys have you been?!

...ah, right, yes, I see your disapproving looks there... well the thing is, it's a long story and quite frankly I don't have the time to tell it and you probably don't have the time to listen, but needless to say I was doing lots of important stuff, you know, saving lives, rescuing kittens, teaching small, misguided children valuable life lessons and just generally being brilliant.

And there was an unfortunate situation with a goose.

But I'm not allowed to talk about that for legal reasons. Anyway, Beanie Baby Council, I'm back now, and I promise I will more than make it up to you, for I have so much to talk about on this here thing you crazy kids like to call a 'blog'!

Alright, alright, we are appeased, for now. But no more tomfoolery, we're watching you.

You know, the great thing about toys is that they're quick to forgive and they don't ask too many questions. And, you know, they're not actually alive so I can pretty much make them do and say whatever I want.

See?

Now that that's all over and done with, I figured I'd kick off my return to the blogosphere with a good old-fashioned dose of red carpet glamour. Last night was the 67th Annual Golden Globes, which saw Drew Barrymore pick up a Best Actress award for "Grey Gardens", while "Glee" (the best TV show EVER... fact) scooped the award for Best Comedy TV Series (rightly so). However, here at The Little Curly Girl HQ (otherwise known as my bedroom), we are WAY more interested in who WORE what rather than who WON what. In my eyes it should be called the Golden Globe Haute Couture Fashion Show of Dreams and Simultaneous Horror. As always with these events, some celebs got it very, very right, while others, sadly (for them, amusing for me) got it so desperately wrong. I've put together a few lists to sum up the night;

First off, let's take a look at the good stuff;

As you may already know, I'm a sucker for ruffles and frills and layers etc and the red carpet had no shortage of them, with Emily Blunt looking gorgeous in this amazing soft pink Dolce & Gabbana gown. Jennifer Morrison (from "Ugly Betty") also looked amazing, although I've read mixed reviews of her Luis Antonio gown. Whatever, I think it's fabulous. Ruffles galore! "Mad Men's" Christina Hendricks channelled her inner Hollywood bombshell, wearing an amazing, peach-coloured, figure-hugging Christian Siriano number, seriously I love her; it's so refreshing to see an actress who actually looks like a real person. (albeit a ridiculously hot one...) Also going for a nude/peach colour was Drew Barrymore in a bejewelled Atelier Versace design - this is another one that's made both the best and worst dressed lists today. Maybe the big sparkly cluster things on the shoulder and hip might have put people off this one, but they probably just fear that which they don't understand, the fools. Drew is HOT. End of.

Flying the flag for simple but sexy black was Courteney Cox Arquette who wore a Victoria Beckham design. I know, I know, what kind of freak buys anything that Mantis Face has put her name to, but as much as I hate to say it, it's a good dress. Plus Courteney is a fittie - I love her elegant hair and makeup, plus, see the arm holding up her umbrella? That's David Arquette! Cute! Courteney's FRIEND Jennifer Aniston (get it? Friend?! Hahaha!) also wore black, but she went for an uber sexy Valentino dress, with a cool asymmetric neckline and cheeky thigh high split. Team Jennifer forever.

Also opting for black but going for all-out drama was "Glee's" Lea Michele in an Oscar de la Renta gown that I'd imagine you would never ever want to take off once you'd put it on (well I wouldn't; I'd live in that dress, people would call me "the girl in the Oscar de la Renta dress" and then years later, they'd call me "the girl in the Oscar de la Renta rags") This was my favourite of the night, but then I love "Glee", I've loved Lea since she was in "Spring Awakening" and I love de la Renta, so really, it's no contest.

Adding a bit of colour to the night was Cameron Diaz, wearing Alexander McQueen. Love the colour, love the shape (slightly padded shoulders - yes indeedy!), love the minimal accessories. Gold star for Cameron!Marion Cotillard also went for a bold colour choice in a deep green Dior gown. I think green is one of the hardest colours to pull off, but Miss Cotillard wore it well - love the little cheeky flash of lace too (that's not an accident, I think it's part of the dress as that's exactly how it looked on the catwalks). I have a bit of a girl-crush on Marion Cotillard; she is so incredibly beautiful and adorable and lovely! Watch this New York Times interview with her if you don't believe me.

Last on my good list is Avatar's Zoe Saldana in Louis Vuitton. This is genius - such an unusual colour choice but I think it really works. Some people might think the skirt is a bit weird, but I like that 'raggedy' look (I'm not sure it's correct to describe a Vuitton gown as looking 'raggedy' but you know what I mean, don't you???). Plus Zoe's makeup looks so fresh and beautiful; she clearly understands the concept of less is more. I like how she's become a bit of a Sci-Fi starlet; first Star Trek, now Avatar. It's funny to think that once, many moons ago, she was the bitchy one in that awful Britney Spears movie, "Crossroads"...

Anyway my little pumpkins, that's all for now - come back tomorrow for more Golden Globes shenanigans when we take a look at those who got it a bit wrong, those who got it VERY wrong and those who shouldn't have bothered leaving the house...